Post by kings6 on Nov 22, 2012 2:48:31 GMT -5
Last week I loaded up my molly mule and the two johns my friend has and he and I headed out for my cow elk hunt in Hell's Canyon. The area is right next to the Hell's Canyon reservoir and since Hell's Canyon is deeper in spots than the Grand Canyon it means you get to ride in some pretty awesome country.
We encountered unusually warm weather and no snow to speak of so the riding part was great. We saw at least one herd of elk each day but they were all big bunches of 50-70 animals and 1/2 to 3/4 a mile away and near the very top of the canyon wall where they had immediate access to escape routes out the top. As such I had no chance to get within range of the the wiley old gals, especially since I was using my Ruger 414 Supermag! But, like I told the one guy, if I really had needed to kill another elk, I would have packed a rifle.!
What we did get was 4 days of 12-20 mile mule rides in some of the most beautiful country in the world, the chance to see everything from wild turkeys to elk with bald eagles, chukars, deer, mink and a big cougar thrown in between. Here are a few pictures of the country we got to stay in just for you folks that have never had the chance to see the Snake River country.
If you look close, you can see a small tongue of land way down on the river. This is where our camp was. From where this shot was taken we rode another 4-5 miles further out before heading back to camp that night.
This is the small stream next to the old cabin where a settler tried to squeak out a living a century ago.
This is the trunk of an old apple tree at the homestead that shows the claw marks of the local black bear that climb it to feast on the old apples.
These guys are the best way to get around in country like this. It would be nearly impossible to hunt this area just on foot, especially if a guy were dumb enough to shoot an elk this far from camp!
Yes, that is sweat running off my little girl!
We encountered unusually warm weather and no snow to speak of so the riding part was great. We saw at least one herd of elk each day but they were all big bunches of 50-70 animals and 1/2 to 3/4 a mile away and near the very top of the canyon wall where they had immediate access to escape routes out the top. As such I had no chance to get within range of the the wiley old gals, especially since I was using my Ruger 414 Supermag! But, like I told the one guy, if I really had needed to kill another elk, I would have packed a rifle.!
What we did get was 4 days of 12-20 mile mule rides in some of the most beautiful country in the world, the chance to see everything from wild turkeys to elk with bald eagles, chukars, deer, mink and a big cougar thrown in between. Here are a few pictures of the country we got to stay in just for you folks that have never had the chance to see the Snake River country.
If you look close, you can see a small tongue of land way down on the river. This is where our camp was. From where this shot was taken we rode another 4-5 miles further out before heading back to camp that night.
This is the small stream next to the old cabin where a settler tried to squeak out a living a century ago.
This is the trunk of an old apple tree at the homestead that shows the claw marks of the local black bear that climb it to feast on the old apples.
These guys are the best way to get around in country like this. It would be nearly impossible to hunt this area just on foot, especially if a guy were dumb enough to shoot an elk this far from camp!
Yes, that is sweat running off my little girl!
